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Whakaipuipu

Composer

Tīmoti Kāretu

1937 -

Tīmoti was born in 1937 and is a descendant of the Ngāi Tūhoe and Ngāti Kahungunu tribes. He is a scholar who is nationally and internationally recognised for his knowledge of the Māori language. Tīmoti is also a prolific composer and Māori performing arts expert.

The sea offshore is overcast with clouds
As it pounds against Te Toka-namu-a-Mihi-marino
To the shore at Pākirikiri
It is like tears in my eyes5 The bright star of the Māori world is extinguished
I am in sadness, I bow down and I am in pain

Where is your likeness as a focus for the people (to follow)
You the generous heart, the loving heart
The expert in crafting words, the singing bird of the land10 Is now silent this day

You have disappeared from view
But your gifts remain
Like a rock where the waves break
Which will never be lost and never forgotten

15 Well, my friend, go with your lonely travelling party
And I will snatch at the sea spray
That strikes me

Explanation

‘Whakaipuipu’ is a waiata tangi or lament. Dr. Tīmoti Kāretu composed the waiata tangi as an expression of the enormous loss he felt following the passing of his dear friend and fellow composer, Ngoi Pēwhairangi. ‘Whakaipuipu’ was first sung in 1985 (the year of Ngoi’s passing) at Pākirikiri Marae in Tokomaru Bay, Ngoi's home. The waiata tangi was only ever sung once on this occasion.

Kāretu in Lines 2 and 3, locates the lament within Ngoi’s hapū by using traditional landmarks ‘Toka-namu-a-Mihi-marino’ and one of her marae ‘Pākirikiri’, the largest marae at Tokomaru Bay.

The underlying political element of this waiata is the loss to the Māori community of a great leader and repository of knowledge. Kāretu highlights this in line seven, ‘Kei hea rā tōu ritenga hei whakamau atu mā te iwi e’, asking who will now fill her role in Māoridom. This is one of the significant issues facing Māori. As repositories of Māori knowledge pass away, there are fewer of the younger generations who are capable of stepping into those roles.

Lines 8 and 9 describes Ngoi’s personal attributes and talents, while Lines 11 and 12 suggest that Ngoi’s legacy will indeed live on.

In the mid-1990s the waiata was revived by Professor Tania Ka‘ai and Professor John Moorfield, with Dr Kāretu’s blessing. They both felt it was a waste for such a beautiful mōteatea to lay dormant. In the years since, it has become the primary waiata for the Professors and for their students when visiting marae, and as such, ‘Whakaipuipu’ has been heard on marae throughout the country. This will continue on, as ‘Whakaipuipu’ is the mōteatea of choice for Te Ipukarea, The National Māori Language Institute, founded by the aforementioned professors and their mentors.